Golf club



A. J. DADAY GOLF CLUB June 1a, 1936.

Filed June 29, 1934 INVENTOR Andremlfiaday BY I 122 s" A RNEY Patented June 16, 1936 UNE'EEE S'EA'ES rarer or ies 22 Claims.

This invention relates to golf clubs and has for its general object and purpose to provide means embodied in the club construction which is operable to control the angular relation between the face of the club head and the ball at the moment of impact, and thereby compensate for the tendency of the average player to slice or hook the ball, due to faulty playing technique or failure to properly coordinate the movements of the body, arms and wrists in stroking the ball.

It is generally known that in playing golf, and especially in driving from the tee, the initial position or stance of the player and the movements of the body, arms and wrists of the player, the act of stroking the ball, are all important factors determining the line of flight of the ball, which is governed by the angle of the club head face with respect to the vertical axis of the call at the moment of impact. In addressing the ball, the player positions the face of the club head behind and adjacent to the ball, in the position it should assume at the moment of impact. The player then swings the club head upwardly and backwardly, at the same time pivoting the body and turning the wrists. From the top of the back swing there is a rapid, uninterrupted, downward and forward swing during which there simultaneously occurs a reverse pivoting motion of the body with relative movement of the arms, wrists an hands, which, at the moment of impact, should be in approximately the same position as when addressing the ball. This desideratum is seldom attained, except by the most expert player. It is, however, essential in order to direct the ball on a true line of flight over the fairway.

The average player is unable to achieve this proper coordination of body, arm and wrist movements, or, due to faulty stance brings the club head face to the ball at an oblique angle at the moment of impact, with the result that the ball is either sliced or hooked.

It is, therefore, an important object of my invention to provide means, rendered effective by the force resulting from the downward and forward swing of the club, for changing the normal angle of the striking face of the club head with respect to the axis of the hand grip, so that, notwithstanding a faulty stance or stroke, at the moment of impact, the face of the club head is proper position to insure a true line of flight of the ball in the desired predetermined direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for controlling and adjusting the extent or degree of change in the angular relation of the club face to the hand grip axis, which occurs in stroln'ng the ball, in accordance with the requirements of the individual player.

In one practical embodiment of the invention,

I provide a hand grip loosely receiving the club shaft, adjustable means limiting the axial movement of the shaft in one direction from the hand grip, and means fixed to the hand grip, coacting with means on the shaft, to cause a rotative movement of the shaftand club head in such axial extension of the shaft from the grip, induced by the centrifugal force resulting from the swing or stroke of the club.

My invention, therefore, enables the golfer to compensate for his lack of expert ability or faulty technique and also to obtain greater driving distance.

It is another object of the invention to accomplish the above noted object or result without materially complicating the construction of the ordinary golf club or greatly increasing manufacturing costs.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved golf club and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts thereof, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated one simple and practical embodiment of the invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating one Well known form of golf club provided with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section, showing the club adjusted to correct the tendency to slice the ball.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the shaft extended from the hand grip in the act of stroking the ball.

Fig. 4. is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 are semi-diagrammatic views showing different positions of the club head face with respect to the ball.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates the club shaft having the head 5, provided with a striking face 1, rigidly fixed to one end thereof. For purposes of illustration, I have shown a driver of conventional form, having a club head of Wood, though, it will be understood as this description proceeds, that the invention is applicable as well to the metal or iron clubs of various types.

The shaft 5 gradually increases in diameter towards its opposite end which is formed with a reduced tubular section 8 of uniform diameter, to receive the hand grip having an outer part 9 of hard rubber, fiber, or other material offering high frictional resistance to slipping of the hands thereon. This part 9 is securely and permanently fastened upon a tubular metal core II), which is loosely and rotatably engagedupon theshaftsection 8 and projects beyond the upper end there-- of, as shown at I 0. The wall of the outer part 9 of the hand grip gradually increases in thickness.

to its upper end so that its outer surface normally forms a smooth continuation of the peripheral= surface of the shaft 5.

The wall of the tubular section 8 of the shaft is quite thin, and I, therefore, preferably arrange.

Within said shaft section an elongated, tubular. bushing I I. This bushing may be rigidly fixed to the shaft section 8! in: various ways, but, as herein shown, the-inner end thereof. is formed solid and securedto the wall of the tubular shaft section 8 by the: pin- I25 extending; diametrically there-- through.

IIIL spaced; relation; to: the: pirr I2 the walls. of. thetubular'hushing andshaft sectionB are provided in; diametrically oppositesides. thereof with substantially V-shaped: slots, having the diverging hranchm Ia and I 4; respectively. A. pin; I5 extends. through. these slots and. at: its opposite. ends is: rigidly in. the: wall of: the metal lining or core I0 of the hand grip.

'Ilhe: bushing. III: atits: other or'upperqend is inteniorly. threaded-, as: at: Hi, to. receive: the. adjustable screw H1. The outer; end; of this screw is formed; with. the head. In and an annular recess I9 therein receives the projecting end portion. I 0 ofthe tubular metal core-of the. hand grip..

A. coiled expansion-"spring 20tisarranged in the bushing I I and headed pins ZI are fitted into the opposite endsofsaidspring, one ofsaid pins bearing against the pin- I5, while the other bears against the adjustable screw FF.

Preferably, the outer face of thegrip member 9" is provided with an index mark, indicated at 22 at the upper-end thereof, and theadjacent end of the screw head I 8'is-provided on its outer surface with thecircumferentia'll'y spaced digits 0- to 3 respectively.

Having now described the several structural featuresof my" new golf club, its use and practical operation may be explained as follows:

Whenthe screw II'is adjusted so that thezero designation on-thescrew head is-aligned with the index 22, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing, the innerend of saidscrew-head abuts tightly against the end of the gripmember 9, and theabove described. mechanism is rendered inoperative. The club will then function in thesame manner as the ordinary golf club in which the club shaft and hand grip are a rigid unit, results being wholly dependent on the playing skill of the individual golfer. Thus, in order-to prevent "slicing orhooking' of. the ball, at the moment of impact the club face I must be-ina perpendicular plane with respect to the ground surface, as shownin Fig. '7 of the drawing; In the effort to secure length or distance. in. the drive, this desideratum is attainable, only by the most experienced golfers.

The, average. golfen. due.- to. incorrect stance, failure. to properlyv coordinate the. movements of body, arms and wrists in stroking the ball, or other playing faults, usually brings the club'face 3118: ball: at a vertically oblique angle. Thus,

the golfeirhasia. tendency either toget both hands.

through. orin; advance of: the club: head on the down swing; which resultsirr slicingthe ball, as

seen in Fig. 8 of the drawing, or, on the other hand, to get the right hand through first, which causes hooking of the ball, as seen in Fig. 9 of the drawing.

Notwithstanding such faulty stroking of the ball or otherlack of proper playing technique on the part of the player, my invention enables the face of the club head to assume the correct position in a true perpendicular plane at the moment of: impact with the ball. Thus, if the player tends to slice the ball, with the pin I5 positioned in the branches I3- of the slots in the shaft section 8, the screw III; is adjusted outwardly to space its head I8 from the end of the hand grip. If this tendency to slice is but slight, only a quarter turn of the. screw is made to align the digit 1 on the; screw head with the index 22, and if more pronounced; a. half or three-quarter turn of the screw is made to increase the spacing of the screwhead from the hand grip.

The player now addresses to ball, placing the club. head as. shown in Fig. 7, with its striking face I substantially perpendicular to the ground. 'I he clubisthenswung upwardly and backwardly and poised for a. moment over the right shoulden. Aiming; to drive. the ball the greatest possible' distance, the player then, exerting the utmost physical: force, brings the club downwardly-ax-id'- forwardly ina rapid, uninterrupted stroke, 6 while securely gripping the hand grip member 9 with botlrhands. The resultant centrifugal force causes the club: shaft to be longitudinally extended from. the hand grip to the extent permitted: by, the setting. of the screw head It and against the resistance of. the spring 20. At the same: time the; camming action of the edges of the. slot-section; I3: against the pin l5 causes the clubvshaft and.head;to-turn or rotate in a clockwise dir-ection relative. to the hand grip. Thus, at themioment of impactwith the ball, the club head facel: insteadrof being in a vertically oblique plane, asin Fig.8, will. be; in a true perpendicular plane, as. in Fig.. 7. As. a result thereof, the ball is: directed on a. straight line. of flight over the fairway. Atthe end. of the forward, sweeping upward stroke, or follow through of the club head, thespring 20' returns the shaft and hand grip: to their. former normal positions.

To: adjust: the club. to correct the tendency to hook the. ball, one complete turn of the screw head is made from the position shown in Fig. 5 otther drawing. By then shifting the hand grip outwardly into contact against the screw head the pin: I5: ispositioned in the juncture of the twobranches and I4. of the slots in the shaft. Upon a slight relative turning movement of the shaft and hand grip and shifting the latter inwardly; the pin I5 is: seated in the end of the slot section I4".

Thus, after properly setting the screw I! in accordance with. the tendency of the player to hook the ball, the influence of centrifugal force in stroking the ball' will: cause the club head and shaft to turn or rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, by the camming action of slot sections I 4 against the pin I5. Accordingly, instead of the club: face I being positioned at the oblique angle seen in Fig. 9, at the moment of impact, itwill be disposed in the correct perpendicular position of Fig. '7 of the drawing for a straight line of flight down the fairway.

After a short experimental period, the proper adjustmentor setting of the screw Il may be ments. or the individual player.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my invention will be clearly understood. It will be seen that I have provided a device, readily adaptable to the various different types of golf clubs, which will function in a reliable and efficient manner for the purpose in view. Practical tests of the new club have established the fact that by the use thereof, the score of the ordinary golf player, having little knowledge of the finer points of the game, may be markedly improved. The invention consists of relatively few parts of simple mechanical construction so that the cost of production of the new club will be but little more than that of the rigid golf club now in general use.

I have herein shown and described one satisfactory embodiment of my invention, but, it is to be understood, that the essential features thereof are also susceptible of exemplification in various other alternative structural forms. Accordingly, in further practical development of my invention, I reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the several elements as may be fairly considered within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head at one end and a hand grip at its other end, and means responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke to turn the club head around the axis of the hand grip and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, said means including relatively movable parts, one of which is carried by said shaft.

2. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head at one end and a hand grip at its other end, means responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke to turn the club head around the axis of the hand grip and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, said means including relatively movable parts, one of which is carried by said shaft, and means for variably regulating the degree of turning movement of the club head.

3. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip loosely engaged on the other end of the shaft, and means responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, to cause a relative rotation between the club shaft and hand grip, and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, said means including relatively movable parts on the hand grip and shaft.

4. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip loosely engaged on the other end of the shaft, means responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, to cause a relative rotation between the club shaft and hand grip, and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, said means including relatively movable parts on the hand grip and shaft, and means for variably regulating the degree of relative rotation between the club shaft and hand grip.

5. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head at one end thereof and a hand grip at its other end, and means responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke to turn the club head around the axis of the hand grip and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, said means including relatively movable parts on the hand grip and shaft, respectively, adjustable with respect to each other to predetermine the direction of turning movement of the club head.

6. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip loosely engaged on the other end of the shaft, and means responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, to cause a relative rotation between the club shaft and hand .grip, and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, said means including relatively adjustable parts on the hand grip and shaft to predetermine the direction of turning movement of the club head.

7. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip rotatably connected with the other end of said shaft, and coacting means on the hand grip and shaft, responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, to cause a relative rotation between the club shaft and hand grip and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball.

8. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip rotatably connected with the other end of the shaft, coacting means on the hand grip and shaft, responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, to cause a relative rotation between the club shaft and hand grip and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, and means for variably regulating the degree of relative rotation between the club shaft and hand grip.

9. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip rotatably connected with the other end of the shaft, and coacting means on the hand grip and shaft, responsive to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, to cause a relative rotation between the club shaft and hand grip and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, said means including relatively adjustable parts to predetermine the direction of turning movement of the club head.

10. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip Within which the other end of the shaft is axially extensible in response to the influence of centrifugal force during the playing stroke, and means rendered operative by such axial extension of the shaft to impart a concurrent rotary movement thereto and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane atthe moment of impact with the ball.

11. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip within which the other end of the shaft is axially extensible in response to the influence of centrifugal force during the playing stroke, and coacting means on the hand grip and shaft rendered operative by such axial extension of the shaft to impart a concurrent rotary movement thereto and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball.

12. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip within which the other end of the shaft is axially extensible in response to the influence of centrifugal force during the playing stroke, means rendered operative by such axial extension 'of the shaft to impart a concurrent rotary movement thereto and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, and means for variably limiting such axial and rotative movements of the shaft with respect to the hand grip.

13. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip within which the other end of the shaft is axially extensible in response to the influence of centrifugal force during the playing stroke, means rendered operative by such axial extension of the shaft to impart a concurrent rotary movement thereto and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, and means automatically acting to restore the shaft and hand grip to their normal positions relative to each other, upon completion of the stroke.

14. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip within which the other end of the shaft is axially extensible in response to the influence of centrifugal force during the playing stroke, means rendered effective by such axial extension of the shaft to impart a concurrent rotary movement thereto and position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, and "adjustable means connected with the shaft and coacting with the hand grip to variably limit such axial and rotative movements of the shaft with respect to the hand grip.

15. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip within which the other end of the shaft is axially extensible in response to the influence of centrifugal force during the playing stroke, said end of the shaft having a double cam slot therein, a coacting pin extending diametrically through said slot and fixed at its ends to the hand grip and adjustable therewith to engage different parts of the slot to cause a concurrent rotation of the shaft in a predetermined direction, to thereby position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, and a spring acting to restore the hand grip and shaft to their normal relative positions upon completion of the stroke.

16. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head rigid with one end thereof, a hand grip within which the other end of the shaft is axially extensible in response to the influence of centrifugal force during the playing stroke, said end of the shaft having a double cam slot therein, a coacting pin extending diametrically through said slot and fixed at its ends to the hand grip and adjustable therewith to engage different parts of the slot to cause a concurrent rotation of the shaft in a predetermined direction, to thereby position the striking face of the club head in a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball, an adjustable screw connected with the shaft and coacting with the hand grip to variably limit the axial and rotative movements of the shaft with respect to the hand grip, and a spring acting to restore the hand grip and shaft to their normal relative positions upon completion of the stroke.

17. A golf club comprising a shaft, a hand grip at one end of the shaft, a club head at the other end of the shaft, movable axially of the hand grip in response to centrifugal force during the playing stroke, and means responsive to such axial movement of the club head to effect a rotational movement of the club head with respect to the hand grip.

18. A golf club comprising a shaft, a hand grip at one end of the shaft, a club head at the other end of the shaft, and means, including said shaft, for effecting rotational movement of the club head around the hand grip axis in response to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke.

19. A golf club comprising a shaft, a hand grip at one end of the shaft, a club head at the other end of the shaft, means, including said shaft, for effecting rotational movement of the club head around the hand grip axis in response to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, and means mounted in the shaft for controlling such rotational movement of the club head.

20. A golf club comprising a shaft, a hand grip at one end of the shaft, a club head at the other end of the shaft, means, including said shaft, for effecting rotational movement of the club head around the hand grip axis in response to the influence of centrifugal force upon the club head during the playing stroke, means mounted in the shaft for controlling such rotational movement of the club head, and means automatically acting to restore the club head to normal position with respect to the hand grip axis, upon completion of the stroke.

21. A golf club comprising a hand grip, a shaft and a club head having a striking face, said head being rotatable relative to the hand grip; and coacting, parts rotatable relative to each other around the axis of the hand grip, one of said parts being connected to the club head through said shaft, the other of said parts being carried by and operatively controlled from said hand grip, for rotating the club head relative to the hand grip when the club is swungin striking a ball so as to cause the striking face to assume a desired predetermined plane at the moment of impact with the ball.

22. A golf club comprising a shaft having a club head on one end, a hand grip ,rotatably mounted on the other end of said shaft, and means carried by the hand grip coacting with means on said shaft to effect relative rotation of the shaft and hand grip and position the striking face of the club head at a desired angle with respect to the axis of the hand grip when the club is swung to cause the head to strike the ball.

ANDREW J. DADAY. 

